U.S. patent application number 11/505794 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-01 for methods and systems for providing access to decision critical information for food services supply chain management.
Invention is credited to James A. Carson, Tom Heide, Edward Tatro.
Application Number | 20070050229 11/505794 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37805482 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070050229 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tatro; Edward ; et
al. |
March 1, 2007 |
Methods and systems for providing access to decision critical
information for food services supply chain management
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus for providing access to decision
critical information for food services supply chain management are
provided in accordance with the present invention. A food services
customer can input menu item information into at least one customer
database for one or more food services locations. At least one
supplier database is provided, each of the at least one supplier
database containing information relating to food service supplies
offered by a respective supplier. Access to the at least one
customer database and the at least one supplier database is
controlled via a common access portal. The customer is provided
with access to the databases via the portal. The customer can
generate a request relating to selected menu items. Information is
then provided to the customer from one of (i) the at least one
customer database and (ii) the at least one supplier database in
response to the request.
Inventors: |
Tatro; Edward; (Stamford,
CT) ; Carson; James A.; (Greenwich, CT) ;
Heide; Tom; (Stamford, CT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lipsitz & McAllister, LLC
755 MAIN STREET
MONROE
CT
06468
US
|
Family ID: |
37805482 |
Appl. No.: |
11/505794 |
Filed: |
August 16, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60709359 |
Aug 17, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/087 20130101;
G06Q 50/12 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/009 |
International
Class: |
G06F 9/46 20060101
G06F009/46 |
Claims
1. A computerized method for providing access to decision critical
information for food services supply chain management, comprising:
enabling a food services customer to input menu item information
into at least one customer database for one or more food services
locations; providing at least one supplier database, each of said
at least one supplier database containing information relating to
food service supplies offered by a respective supply; controlling
access to said at least one customer database and said at least one
supplier database via a common access portal; providing said
customer with access to said at least one customer database and
said at least one supplier database via said common access portal;
enabling said customer to generate a request relating to one or
more of said menu items selected from said at least one customer
database; providing information to said customer from one of (i)
said at least one customer database and (ii) said at least one
supplier database in response to said request.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
enabling said customer to place an order for food services supplies
for said one or more of said menu items from said at least one
supplier.
3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein: said customer
owns, operates, or manages multiple food services locations; said
order comprises an order for one or more of said multiple food
services locations.
4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said request
comprises a request for at least one of recipe ingredient pricing
for said one or more menu items, availability information,
historical ordering information, shipping and receiving
information, supplier information, order status information, market
pricing information, historical pricing information, historical
usage information, and trend forecasting information.
5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said menu item
information is input using configurable input forms.
6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein: said information is
provided to said customer in response to said request in real time
or near real time.
7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: information for
multiple food services locations owned, operated, or managed by
said customer is input into and stored at a single customer
database.
8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: information for
each food services location owned, operated, or managed by said
customer is input into and stored at a separate customer
database.
9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein: said separate
customer databases are linked via at least one of a local area
network, a wide area network, a global area network, a telephone
network, or the Internet.
10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said customer
owns, operates, or manages multiple food services locations; and
said request for information comprises a request relating to one or
more of said multiple food services locations.
11. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
storing alt least one of said menu item information and recipe item
information of said customer on said at least one customer
database.
12. A method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:
enabling at least one of menu planning and recipe planning via at
said at least one customer database.
13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said at least one
of menu planing and recipe planning is provided for a single food
services location.
14. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said at least one
of menu planing and recipe planning is provided for multiple food
services locations owned, operated, or managed by said
customer.
15. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:
enabling food delivery planning via said customer database.
16. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said at least one
customer database and said at least one supplier database are
provided by a service provider; said request is processed by the
service provider to provide a response with said information to
said customer.
17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein: said common
access portal is provided by the service provider; and access to
said at least one customer database and said at least one supplier
database via the portal is controlled by said service provider.
18. A method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising:
communicating by said service provider of said request to said at
least one supplier database for current pricing and supply
availability for said selected food service supplies corresponding
to said one or more menu items; and enabling communication of said
pricing and supply availability information to said customer
database responding to said request.
19. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
periodically updating the at least one supplier database with
information relating to said food service supplies from said
supplier.
20. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said food service
supplies comprise at least one of food supplies and beverage
supplies.
21. A method in accordance with claim 20, wherein: said at least
one of food supplies and beverage supplies comprise at least one of
a food product, a drink product, a menu item selection, a recipe
item selection, food ingredients, drink ingredients, ingredients
for a particular food product, ingredients for a particular drink
product, and ingredients for a particular menu item selection.
22. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said request
comprises a request for at least one of food product pricing, drink
product pricing, menu item pricing, recipe item pricing, food
ingredients pricing, drink ingredients pricing, ingredients pricing
for a particular food product, ingredients pricing for a particular
drink product, and ingredients pricing for a menu selection.
23. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
maintaining a record of said orders placed by said customer on at
least one of (i) said at least one customer database and (ii) said
at least one supplier database.
24. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
entering physical inventory counts to said customer database using
at least one of a handheld computer, a laptop computer, a personal
computer, a personal digital assistant and an Internet appliance;
and storing at least one of said physical inventory counts, current
inventory information, and historical inventory information on said
customer database.
25. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
generating reports relating to said food service supplies in
response to customer or supplier requests for at least one of
current or historical ordering information, usage trends, current
or historical inventory information, current or historical purchase
order information, order confirmation, pricing information,
delivery information, profit margins, operating costs, recipe item
costs, menu item costs, local market pricing trends, and vendor
pricing comparisons based on recent competitors' orders.
26. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
storing preferred orders on at least one of (i) said at least one
customer database and (ii) said at least one supplier database for
said customer; and enabling automatic re-submission of said
preferred orders at designated time intervals.
27. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
integrating said at least one customer database with said
customer's point of sale system; and storing information regarding
food and beverage sales for said customer on said at least one
customer database.
28. A method in accordance with claim 27, further comprising:
enabling at least one of sales forecasting, inventory management,
automatic food service supplies purchasing, trend forecasting, and
supplies forecast planing.
29. A method in accordance with claim 28, further comprising:
generating reports in response to a request from said customer
relating to sales forecasting, inventory management, automatic food
service supplies purchasing, trend forecasting, and supplies
forecast planning.
30. A method in accordance with claim 27, further comprising:
integrating said at least one customer database with said
customer's accounting system.
31. A method in accordance with claim 30, further comprising:
enabling at least one of vendor bill payment, vendor bill
reconciliation, sales tax reporting, banking, credit card
reconciliation, accounting accrual maintenance, depreciation
maintenance, house charge maintenance, generation of customer
statements, financial reporting, and financial analysis.
32. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:
enabling said at least one supplier to provide a listing of food
service supplies with associated pricing information to said
supplier database.
33. A system for providing access to decision critical information
for food services supply chain management, comprising: at least one
customer database for storing menu item information for one or more
food services locations; means for enabling a food services
customer to access said one or more customer database and input
said menu item information; at least one supplier database, each of
said at least one supplier database containing information relating
to food service supplies offered by a respective supplier; a common
access portal for controlling access to said at least one customer
databases and said at least one supplier database; means for
providing said customer with access to said at least one customer
databases and said at least one supplier database via said common
access portal; means for enabling said customer to generate a
request relating to one or more of said menu items selected from
said at least one customer database; and means for providing
information to said customer from one of (i) said at least one
customer database and (ii) said at least one supplier database in
response to said request.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
patent application No. 60/709,359 filed on Aug. 17, 2005, which is
incorporated herein by reference for all purposes as if fully set
for herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to methods, apparatus and
systems for providing access to decision critical information for
food services supply chain management. In particular, the present
invention relates to a web hosted full outsourcing service
providing Internet based food, beverage and supply ordering.
Customers are electronically linked to their suppliers. All
procurement, delivery, receiving and adjustments are processed
electronically. Integrated inventory management and accounting
systems including data warehouse to support sales, operating costs,
margin trends and competitive market analysis. All customers have
access to the latest up to date suite of systems.
[0003] The food service/hospitality industry is now a $120 billion
a year industry. Approximately 38 percent of meals are prepared
outside of the home. A mid-sized restaurant typically processes
2,000 paper invoices a month. This is inherent in the nature of the
industry--a relatively short order cycle (48 hours) for most
perishable items leads to frequent ordering and re-ordering of such
items. As the food service industry, and particularly the supply
chain management side of the food service industry, is labor and
paper intensive, substantial cost savings are possible from
automating labor-intensive back office operations and other routine
operations carried out in the food services industry. In addition,
pressure on operating margins will likely increase to realize the
traditional eight percent bottom line margin return on investment
(beverages typically offer 70 a percent margin). However, the
declining use of alcohol is pressuring margins.
[0004] It would be advantageous to provide business processes that
are a unique application of e-commerce management software tools
for the food service industry. It would be further advantageous to
provide methods and systems for food service supply chain
management meeting industry specific requirements and being
designed to carry out critical transaction functions without
requiring industry suppliers to modify their existing systems or
significantly realign their business practices. In addition, it
would also be advantageous to eliminate paper intensive inventory
and related manual financial record keeping while significantly
improving operating control and profitability in the food services
environment.
[0005] The methods, apparatus, and systems of the present invention
provide the foregoing and other advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention relates to methods, apparatus and
systems for providing access to decision critical information for
food services supply chain management.
[0007] In an example embodiment of the present invention, a
computerized method for providing access to decision critical
information for food services supply chain management is provided.
In such an example embodiment, a food services customer is enabled
to input menu items information into at least one customer database
for one or more food services locations. At least one Supplier
database is provided, each of the at least one supplier database
containing information relating to food service supplies offered by
a respective supplier. Access to the at least one customer database
and the at least one supplier database is controlled via a common
access portal. The customer is provided with access to the at least
one customer database and the at least one supplier database via
the common access portal. The customer is enabled to generate a
request relating to one or more of the menu items selected from the
at least one customer database. Information is then provided to the
customer from one of (i) the at least one customer database and
(ii) the at least one supplier database in response to the
request.
[0008] The customer may be enabled to place an order for food
services supplies for the one or more of the menu items from the at
least one supplier. The customer may own, operate, or manage
multiple food services locations. In such a situation, the order
placed by the customer may comprises an order for one or more of
the multiple food services locations.
[0009] In an example embodiment where the customer owns, operates,
or manages multiple food services locations, the request for
information may comprise a request relating to one or more of the
multiple food services locations.
[0010] The request may comprise a request for at least one of
recipe ingredient pricing for the one or more menu items,
availability information, historical ordering information, shipping
and receiving information, supplier information, order status
information, market pricing information, historical pricing
information, historical usage information, trend forecasting
information, and the like.
[0011] The menu item information may be input using configurable
input forms.
[0012] The information may be provided to the customer in response
to the request in real time or near real time.
[0013] Information for multiple food services locations owned,
operated, or managed by the same customer may be input into and
stored at a single customer database. Alternatively, information
for each food services location owned, operated, or managed by the
same customer may be input into and stored at a separate customer
database. Such separate customer databases may be linked via a at
least one of local area network, a wide area network, a global area
network, a telephone network, the Internet, or the like.
[0014] In a further example embodiment of the present invention, at
least one of the menu item information and recipe item information
of the customer may be stored on the at least one customer
database. In such an example embodiment, at least one of menu
planning and recipe planning may be enabled via at the at least one
customer database. The at least one of menu planing and recipe
planning may be provided for a single food services location, or
for multiple food services locations owned, operated, or managed by
the same customer. In addition, in such an example embodiment, food
delivery planning may be enabled via the customer database.
[0015] In an additional example embodiment of the present
invention, the at least one customer database and the at least one
supplier database may be provided by a service provider. In such an
example embodiment, the request may be processed by the service
provider to provide a response with the information to the
customer. Further, the common access portal may be provided by the
service provider, and access to the at least one customer database
and the at least one supplier database via the portal may be
controlled by the service provider.
[0016] The service provider may communicate the request from the
customer to the at least one supplier database for current pricing
and supply availability for the selected food service supplies
corresponding to the one or more menu items. The pricing and supply
availability information may then be communicated to the customer
database responding to the request.
[0017] The at least one supplier database may be periodically
updated with information relating to the food service supplies from
the supplier.
[0018] The food service supplies may comprise at least one of food
supplies and beverage supplies. The at least one of food supplies
and beverage supplies may comprise at least one of a food product,
a drink product, a menu item selection, a recipe item selection,
food ingredients, drink ingredients, ingredients for a particular
food product, ingredients for a particular drink product,
ingredients for a particular menu item selection, and the like.
[0019] The request may comprise a request for at least one of food
product pricing, drink product pricing, menu item pricing, recipe
item pricing, food ingredients pricing, drink ingredients pricing,
ingredients pricing for a particular food product, ingredients
pricing for a particular drink product, ingredients pricing for a
menu selection, and the like.
[0020] A record of the orders placed by the customer may be
maintained on at least one of (i) the at least one customer
database and (ii) the at least one supplier database.
[0021] Physical inventory counts may be entered to the customer
database using at least one of a handheld computer, a laptop
computer, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, an
Internet appliance, or the like. At least one of the physical
inventory counts, current inventory information, and historical
inventory information may be stored on the customer database.
[0022] In a further example embodiment of the present invention,
reports may be generated relating to the food service supplies in
response to customer or supplier requests for at least one of
current or historical ordering information, usage trends, current
or historical inventory information, current or historical purchase
order information, order confirmation, pricing information,
delivery information, profit margins, operating costs, recipe item
costs, menu item costs, local market pricing trends, vendor pricing
comparisons based on recent competitors' orders, and the like.
[0023] Preferred orders may be stored on at least one of (i) the at
least one customer database and (ii) the at least one supplier
database for the customer, such that automatic re-submission of the
preferred orders at designated time intervals is enabled.
[0024] In an additional example embodiment of the present
invention, the at least one customer database is integrated with
the customer's point of sale system. Information regarding food and
beverage sales for the customer may be stored on the at least one
customer database. This information may be obtained from the
customer's point of sale system, either automatically or at
periodic intervals under the control of the customer.
[0025] In such an example embodiment, at least one of sales
forecasting, inventory management, automatic food service supplies
purchasing, trend forecasting, and supplies forecast planing may be
enabled. Reports may be generated in response to a request from the
customer relating to sales forecasting, inventory management,
automatic food service supplies purchasing, trend forecasting,
supplies forecast planning, and the like.
[0026] The at least one customer database may also be integrated
with the customer's accounting system, enabling at least one of
vendor bill payment, vendor bill reconciliation, sales tax
reporting, banking, credit card reconciliation, accounting accrual
maintenance, depreciation maintenance, house charge maintenance,
generation of customer statements, financial reporting, financial
analysis, and the like.
[0027] The at least one supplier may provide (upload) a listing of
food service supplies with associated pricing information to the
supplier database.
[0028] The present invention also encompasses a system for
providing access to decision critical information for food services
supply chain management. An example embodiment of such a system in
accordance with the present invention may include at least one
customer database for storing menu item information for one or more
food services locations. Such a system may also include means for
enabling a food services customer to access the one or more
customer database and input the menu item information. At least one
supplier database may also be provided as part of such a system,
each of the at least one supplier database containing information
relating to food service supplies offered by a respective supplier.
A common access portal may be provided for controlling access to
the at least one customer databases and the at least one supplier
database. In addition, such a system may also include means for
providing the customer with access to the at least one customer
databases and the at least one supplier database via the common
access portal and means for enabling the customer to generate a
request relating to one or more of the menu items selected from the
at least one customer database. Means for providing information to
the customer from one of (i) the at least one customer database and
(ii) the at least one supplier database in response to the request
may also be provided as part of such a system.
[0029] The system may be implemented using a network connection
such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)
with connectivity either through dedicated or shared services, a
LAN and or WAN including internet connectivity, or any combination
of networks, including combinations of LAN, WAN, Internet,
Extranet, telephone networks, cable networks, including wired or
wireless networks, or the like.
[0030] The features of the example embodiments of the methods
provided in accordance with the present invention discussed above
may also be provided by the system embodiments of the present
invention.
[0031] The present invention provides the following features and
advantages, among others: [0032] Collects, weighs and evaluates
information related to business material and service costs in the
food service industry. [0033] Eliminates significant labor and
material costs versus standard paper generated invoicing. [0034]
Facilitates electronic communication between restaurants and
suppliers enabling real time best price and availability decision
making. [0035] Stores and updates all the latest suppliers prices
for commodities and other products used by the customer in the food
service industry. [0036] Integrates the essential restaurant back
office operations of procurement, product delivery, inventory
management, menu and recipe and accounting into one seamless easy
to use information management system thereby eliminating costly
duplication of non-compatible systems and processes. [0037]
Provides real time information for inventory management,
purchasing, cost management at the line item level; profit
management at the menu, recipe and beverage level thereby
significantly reducing time, labor costs versus current systems,
practices and methods. [0038] Provides item level purchasing
requirements as defined by accurate data derived from real time
line item inventory knowledge, historical customer demand at the
line item level and recipe and beverage use standards resulting in
more efficient material purchasing and requirements planning.
[0039] Improves purchasing productivity by purchase/order delivery
management via the Internet thereby eliminating costly duplication
of automated and non-automated systems as well as internal
communication systems. [0040] Provides and combines multiple
product-sourcing, contract buying and pricing trends into one
seamless automated system thereby eliminating paper and labor
intensive practices and methods. [0041] Provides real time critical
data to improve monthly sales versus plan and identifies operating
trends that pinpoint shrinkage, waste, margins, pricing and
seasonality versus current business practices and methods. [0042]
Provides an Internet link between the restaurant and its suppliers
enabling on line pricing, availability, multiple sourcing, contract
buying and automated replenishment versus current paper and
labor-intensive processes. [0043] Automatically validates supplier
invoices for price and delivery variances versus manual (error
prone) processes. [0044] Automatically integrates all purchasing
transactions into the general ledger/accounting system regardless
of what accounting system the customer is using thereby eliminating
costly duplicate data entry. [0045] Automatically integrates with
the customers Point of Sales system thereby providing accurate
sales data that automatically relieves inventory and facilitates
purchase requirements, automatic product replenishment and enables
materials forecast planning thereby increasing efficiency and
accuracy resulting in lower cost of sales. [0046] Centrally hosts
the software (as an Application Service Provider while also
offering services as a Business Processor Outsourcer) and all the
customers data and files in a secured environment thereby providing
a safe and complete recovery in the event of a disaster at any or
all of the customer's locations. [0047] Enables the customer to
improve gross margin, reduce operating costs and labor and improve
profit by outsourcing critical back office functions under a fixed
service contract. [0048] Provides an extensive on line product and
supply catalog by food service industry product code thereby
insuring order accuracy and verification. [0049] Provides real time
updates for product purchases, receipts/returns, usage and physical
inventory adjustments. [0050] Builds and maintains key item level
recipe costs, establishes food and beverage usage standards and
calculates available food servings. [0051] Provides and improves
operating margin management by integration of the Point of Sales
system, recipe and inventory data, calculates food/beverage
consumption versus target and gross profit by menu/beverage line
item. [0052] Calculates and provides gross margin trends and
competitive market analysis, comparative supplier prices and
trends, physical inventory exception analysis and real time
inventory status. [0053] Automatically integrates and records all
required accounting transaction which include but are not limited
to: vendor bill payment/reconciliation, sales tax reporting, bank
and credit card reconciliation, maintain accounting
accruals/depreciation, house charge maintenance/customer
statements, weekly, monthly, year to date full financial reporting
and analysis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0054] The present invention will hereinafter be described in
conjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like
reference numerals denote like elements, and:
[0055] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0056] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a further example embodiment
of the present invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0057] The ensuing detailed description provides exemplary
embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope,
applicability, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the
ensuing detailed description of the exemplary embodiments will
provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for
implementing an embodiment of the invention. It should be
understood that various changes may be made in the function and
arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0058] Operational costs in the food services industry can be
significantly reduced through automation of routine,
labor-intensive activities such as food and beverage ordering. With
the advent and acceptance of Point of Sale (POS) technology, the
food service industry has finally matured enough to reap the
benefits of a web-based supply chain management system provided by
the present invention.
[0059] The present invention provides a turnkey solution suitable
for a wide range of users. By partnering with existing "best of
breed" suppliers, the present invention offers additional
value-added services to restaurants. The present invention
integrates business functions and facilitates automation without
major outlay by the restaurant. The present invention provides
improved inventory control and reduces shrinkage. The present
invention further offers significant productivity benefits for the
back office, facilitating everything from procurement operations to
financial controls. The present invention also leverages the
existing investment in a POS system.
[0060] The present invention's technical architecture may be based
on Microsoft's N-Tier Internet technology. As a three-tier
architecture, the application is constructed using ASP.Net, a
middle tier layer and Sequel Server 2000 database. ASP.Net can work
with any Internet browser and will allow the present invention to
scale easily as new customers and suppliers are brought on board.
In the ASP.Net environment, the data access page is disconnected
from the database as soon as the customer has obtained his data.
Business logic resides in the middle-tier layer. This enables
hundreds of users to access an Internet site provided by the
present invention without impacting system performance while
minimizing data base server licensing requirements. Those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be
implemented using a variety of different hardware and software
components, of which the foregoing is but one example.
[0061] The present invention may provide the following services,
among others, to a restaurant owner or manager: [0062] Calculate
and update menu requirements [0063] Maintain inventory [0064]
Facilitate physical inventory adjustments [0065] Determine food
requirements [0066] Identify lowest supplier price and availability
[0067] Issues purchase orders (discreet, time released,
replenishment, customer pickup) [0068] Record food and beverage
receipts [0069] Record receipt adjustments [0070] Reconcile
supplier's invoice [0071] Execute approved customer payment [0072]
Update accounting records (sales, menu and material costs,
financial inventory, accounts payable, general ledger) [0073]
Maintain data warehouse for operating trends and competitive market
information
[0074] The present invention may provide the following services,
among others, to a food service supplier: [0075] Maintain Item
Price and Availability Catalog [0076] Broadcast promotions/specials
[0077] Track all Customer item price and availability information
requests [0078] Handle all Customer purchase orders [0079] Create
shipping acknowledgement and manifest [0080] Record Customer
receipt and returns/adjustments [0081] Create Customer Invoice
[0082] Create Customer Credit Memo [0083] Track all EFT and credit
card invoice payments [0084] Track open customer purchase
orders/back orders/invoices
[0085] The present invention supports a large number of business
functions, including but not limited to: [0086] Automate price and
availability requests to and from suppliers [0087] Automate
purchase order as a replacement for telephone and fax [0088]
Support special devices such handheld computers/PDAs to improve
productivity [0089] Accommodate bid requests for standard products
and special requests [0090] Route bid requests to appropriate
suppliers [0091] Accommodate standard e-mail interface [0092]
Enable operational and financial reporting [0093] Readily interface
with external accounting package such as Peachtree/Quick books
[0094] Automate receiving and invoice reconciliation [0095] Provide
interactive search and display functions [0096] Facilitate the
promotion of specials for supplier [0097] Enable provisions for
General Ledger account numbers with sub account and cost center
[0098] Provide a request for information process [0099] Provide for
customization, navigation and eliminate fax [0100] Provide shortcut
keys for navigation [0101] Assign and manage standard products
(approximately 6000 already currently identified) [0102]
Accommodate specialty commodities such as wine [0103] Provide a
customer master account accommodating multiple stores with central
(headquarters) ordering, enabling one manager to purchase for
multiple locations [0104] Accommodate multiple distribution
locations for a supplier [0105] Receiving--reconcile order with
corresponding PO [0106] Identify receipts by PO [0107] Break out
shorts, returns and backorders [0108] Provide catalog class codes
and descriptions [0109] Identify quantity on order [0110] Identify
backorders outstanding to find alternate supplier [0111] Support
credit card processing for payments [0112] Define requirements for
new menu items [0113] Set thresholds for monitoring and reordering
menu items [0114] Enable reporting--recap daily store sales--import
into Peachtree from POS system [0115] Provide peer cost comparisons
[0116] Enable migration from paper intensive to electronic mode
[0117] Manage volatile/perishable commodities [0118] Support
supplemental services such as cleaning, routine equipment
maintenance [0119] Provide dropdown box to select adjustment codes
[0120] Enable sessions/provisions for active update [0121] Provide
low-tech interface to send e-mail with a request for price and
availability to one or more potential suppliers [0122] Provide
templates to isolate user interface from applications and database
[0123] Employ customizable templates to accommodate variations
[0124] Provide a menu building function [0125] Maintain
return/adjustment codes [0126] Provide standard screen templates to
provide consistent format and navigation and simplify
maintenance--drop down menus [0127] Provide audit trails--last
update timestamp [0128] Provide accounting feeds--export
information to appropriate format for Peachtree or comparable
package [0129] Enable correspondence between generic catalog item
identifier and existing supplier's identifier (none to many
relationship) [0130] Provide account store entity, store manager,
store/chain identifier [0131] Differentiate taxable and nontaxable
items [0132] Automatically generate a purchase order at receiving
for any order from a known supplier (exception when pending
purchase order is not available) [0133] Automated time release PO
for standard replenishment orders suitable for supplies and
price/demand stable items [0134] Differentiate commodities by class
and subclass--approximately ninety classes identified [0135] Enable
creation of an inventory catalog for a supplier that doesn't
already have an inventory catalog [0136] Archive, purge and backup
[0137] Quote item prices in both portion sizes and shipping units
(packer) [0138] Maintain accounting history [0139] Reduce
administrative costs [0140] Supply financial operating trend data
[0141] Provisions for purchases from petty cash [0142] Treat
miscellaneous purchases from wholesalers' like Costco/BJ as a
separate class of supplier (customer pickup), generate dummy PO to
track purchases. [0143] Adjust unit of measure to accommodate
supplier--pour/liter ounces, pounds, bushels [0144] Provide a
transaction log with an audit trail of key activities and events
which also serves to asynchronously trigger subsequent actions and
processes such as status alerts.
[0145] Those skilled in the art should appreciate that, while
example embodiments of the present invention are described above in
connection with restaurants, the present invention is applicable
not only to restaurants, but also to the hospitality industry,
large institutions (colleges, hospitals, or large companies with
their own cafeterias), the catering industry, and the like.
Accordingly, in the following description of example embodiments,
the term "food services customer" or simply "customer" is used to
designate the person or entity that owns, manages, or operates one
or more food services location. Similarly, it should be understood
that the term "food services location" refers to a restaurant, a
hotel, an institution such as a college or large company with its
own cafeteria or multiple cafeterias (which may be in one or more
geographic locations), a catering business, or the like.
[0146] In an example embodiment of the present invention, a
computerized method for providing access to decision critical
information for food services supply chain management is provided.
As shown in FIG. 1, in such an example embodiment, a food services
customer is enabled to input menu item information into at least
one associated customer database A for one or more food services
locations 15. At least one supplier database 21A is provided, each
of the at least one supplier database containing information
relating to food service supplies offered by a respective supplier
21.
[0147] FIG. 1 shows three separate locations 15, 16, and 17, each
with an associated food services customer 10, 11, and 12,
respectively. Each location 15, 16, and 17 is shown as having an
associated customer database 15A, 16A, and 17A, respectively. Four
separate suppliers 21, 22, 23, and 24, are shown, each with an
associated database 21A, 22A, 23A, and 24A. The present invention
is easily scalable and can accommodate a large number of customers,
food services locations, suppliers, and databases. As will be
discussed in detail below in connection with FIG. 2, each customer
10 may own, operate, or manage one or more foods services locations
15. In such an example embodiment, the same customer 10 may input
information into a single database for each location it controls,
or into separate databases for each location. In FIG. 1, the
customer databases 15A, 16A, and 17A, and the supplier databases
21A, 22A, 23A, and 24A are shown as being distributed throughout
network 30. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that an
example embodiment of the invention could be implemented with the
respective databases (or at least some of the databases) located at
the physical location of either the supplier or the customer, or
connected to the respective supplier or customer via a local area
network, without requiring the customer or supplier to use the
common access portal to access its own database.
[0148] For ease of explanation, the operation of an example
embodiment of present invention will be discussed below in
connection with a single customer, customer 10 and the associated
customer database 15A.
[0149] Access to the at least one customer database 15A and the at
least one supplier database 21A, 22A, 23A, and 24A is controlled
via a common access portal 40. The customer 10 is provided with
access to the at least one customer database 15A and the at least
one supplier database 21A, 22A, 23A, and 24A via the common access
portal 40. The customer 10 is enabled to generate a request
relating to one or more of the menu items selected from the at
least one customer database 15A. Information is then provided to
the customer 10 from one of (i) the at least one customer database
15A and (ii) the at least one supplier database 21A, 22A, 23A, and
24A in response to the request.
[0150] A further example embodiment of the present invention is
shown in FIG. 2. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the
same customer 10 owns, operates, or manages multiple food services
locations (e.g., locations 15, 18, and 19) with associated
databases (e.g., databases 15A, 18A, and 19A). In such an example
embodiment, the request for information may comprise a request
relating to one or more of the multiple food services locations 15,
18, and/or 19. As shown in FIG. 2, each location controlled by the
customer 10 may be part of an enterprise 50 and connected by a
local area network (LAN) 60. The enterprise may have a corporate
office 45 with an associated database 48. In the example embodiment
shown in FIG. 2, the customer 10 may input menu item information
for each location 15, 18, and 19 into an associated database for
that location (i.e., databases 15A, 18A, and 19A) or into a single
database (such as database 48 at the corporate office 45 or any one
of the databases 15A, 18A, or 19A). Those skilled in the art should
appreciate that although FIG. 2 shows only a single enterprise 50
with multiple locations 15, 18, and 19, the present invention is
easily scalable and can accommodate multiple enterprises and their
associated locations. Further, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the present invention can accommodate one or more
enterprises together with one or more individual locations. In
other words, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be easily
combined to provide services on an enterprise wide basis and an
individual store basis.
[0151] In the example embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the at
least one customer database 15A and the at least one supplier
database 21A, 22A, 23A, and 24A may be provided by a service
provider 42. The service provider may be an application service
provider (ASP) which provides and maintains the software used to
implement an embodiment of the present invention over network 30.
In such an example embodiment, the request may be processed by the
service provider 42 to provide a response with the information to
the customer 10. Further, the common access portal 40 may be
provided by the service provider 42, and access to the at least one
customer database 15A and the at least one supplier database 21A,
22A, 23A, and 24A via the portal 40 may be controlled by the
service provider 42.
[0152] The service provider 42 may communicate the request from the
customer 10 to the at least one supplier database 21A, 22A, 23A,
and 24A for current pricing and supply availability for the
selected food service supplies corresponding to the one or more
menu items. The pricing and supply availability information may
then be communicated to the customer database 15A responding to the
request. The customer 10 can then access the pricing and supply
availability information from its database 15A.
[0153] The customer 10 may be enabled to place an order for food
services supplies for the one or more of the menu items from the at
least one supplier 21, 22, 23, and 24A. For example, referring to
FIG. 1, the customer 10 may log onto the network 30, which may be,
for example, a wide area network (WAN), a telephone network, a
global area network such as the internet, or a combination of
various types of networks, including local area networks (LANS).
The customer may be provided with access to the network 30 by the
ASP 42 via a web site. The customer 10 may be provided with secure
password protected access to its associated database 15A, for
example through a home page provided for the customer 10 via the
ASP 42. The customer 10 can then generate the request for
information relating to one or more menu items. Ingredient
information for each menu item, which was previously input into the
customer database 15A, may be automatically obtained from the
customer database 15A and included in the request. The request may
then be processed by the service provider 42 and sent to the
appropriate supplier(s) (e.g., one or more of suppliers 21-24). The
supplier(s) that receive the request can obtain the requested
information from their associated database(s) (e.g., supplier
databases 21A-24A) and return the requested information to the ASP
42. The ASP can then forward the requested information (e.g.,
pricing and availability information from one or more suppliers) to
the customer 10. The customer 10 can review this information and
place an order for food services supplies for one or more of the
menu items from one or more selected supplier based on the pricing
and availability information. The order may processed by the ASP 42
and sent to the one or more selected suppliers 21-24, who then fill
the order, arrange for delivery of the food service supplies, and
bill the customer.
[0154] As discussed above in connection with FIG. 1, the customer
10 may be enabled to place an order for food services supplies for
the one or more of the menu items from the at least one supplier
21, 22, 23, and 24. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the
order placed by the customer 10 may comprises an order for one or
more of the multiple food services locations 15, 18, and/or 19.
[0155] The request generated by the customer 10 may comprise a
request for at least one of recipe ingredient pricing for the one
or more menu items, availability information, historical ordering
information, shipping and receiving information, supplier
information, order status information, market pricing information,
historical pricing information, historical usage information, trend
forecasting information, and the like.
[0156] The menu item information may be input by the customer 10
using configurable input forms. The input forms enable the customer
10 to build menu items by inputting recipe level and ingredient
level information into the forms, which can then be uploaded to the
respective customer database.
[0157] The information may be provided to the customer 10 in
response to the request in real time or near real time via the
network 30.
[0158] As discussed above in connection with FIG. 2, information
for multiple food services locations owned, operated, or managed by
the same customer 10 may be input into and stored at a single
customer database (e.g., corporate database 48 or one of customer
databases 15A, 18A, or 19A). Alternatively, information for each
food services location 15, 18, and 19 owned, operated, or managed
by the same customer 10 may be input into and stored at a separate
customer database 15A, 18A, and 19A. Although customer databases
15A, 18A, and 19A are shown in FIG. 2 as being outside of the LAN
60 of the enterprise 50, those skilled in the art will appreciate
that the databases 15A, 18A, and 19A, as well as corporate database
48, may be linked via the local area network 60 so that access to
these databases by the customer 10 is not via the portal 40.
[0159] In a further example embodiment of the present invention, at
least one of the menu item information and recipe item information
of the customer 10 may be stored on the at least one customer
database 15A. In such an example embodiment, at least one of menu
planning and recipe planning may be enabled via at the at least one
customer database 15A. The at least one of menu planing and recipe
planning may be provided for a single food services location 15, or
for multiple food services locations owned, operated, or managed by
the same customer (e.g., locations 15, 18, and 19 as shown in FIG.
2). In addition, in such an example embodiment, food delivery
planning may be enabled via the customer database 15A. Further, as
shown in FIG. 2, enterprise wide menu, recipe, and food delivery
planning may be enabled using one or more of the customer databases
15A, 18A, and 19A and corporate database 48.
[0160] The at least one supplier database (e.g., supplier databases
21A-24A) may be periodically updated with information relating to
the food service supplies from the respective supplier (e.g.,
supplier 21-24). Each supplier (e.g., supplier 21) may provide
information to at least one associated database (e.g., supplier
database 21A). For example, the at least one supplier 21-24 may
provide (upload) a listing of food service supplies with associated
pricing information to the supplier database. It should be
appreciated that a supplier 21 may provide information to more than
one database. For example, if a supplier 21 provides two different
types of supplies, such as food supplies and beverage supplies, the
supplier 21 may choose to provide information relating to the food
supplies to one database and information relating to beverage
supplies to another database. Although possible, the present
invention does not contemplate the situation where more than one
supplier 21 provides information to the same database.
[0161] The food service supplies may comprise at least one of food
supplies and beverage supplies. The at least one of food supplies
and beverage supplies may comprise at least one of a food product,
a drink product, a menu item selection, a recipe item selection,
food ingredients, drink ingredients, ingredients for a particular
food product, ingredients for a particular drink product,
ingredients for a particular menu item selection, and the like.
[0162] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the supplies
provided by the suppliers 21-24 and listed on the associated
databases 21A-24A may also include other food service related items
and supplies, such as cleaning supplies, kitchen supplies,
uniforms, durable goods, paper products such as napkins, paper
cups, paper bags, and paper plates, cutlery, cooking utensils,
pots, pans, tables, chairs, pizza boxes, doggie bags, and any other
conceivable item that may be used in the food service industry.
[0163] The request from the customer 10 may comprise a request for
at least one of food product pricing, drink product pricing, menu
item pricing, recipe item pricing, food ingredients pricing, drink
ingredients pricing, ingredients pricing for a particular food
product, ingredients pricing for a particular drink product,
ingredients pricing for a menu selection, and the like.
[0164] A record of the orders placed by the customer 10 may be
maintained on at least one of (i) the at least one customer
database 15A and (ii) the at least one supplier database
21A-24A.
[0165] Physical inventory counts may be entered by the customer 10
to the customer database 15A using at least one of a handheld
computer, a laptop computer, a personal computer, a personal
digital assistant, an internet appliance, or the like. At least one
of the physical inventory counts, current inventory information,
and historical inventory information may be stored on the customer
database 15A.
[0166] In this regard it should be appreciated that the block
representing the customers 10, 11, and 12 in the Figures includes
the hardware and software necessary for the customer to access the
network 30, input information into the databases, generate requests
and orders, and obtain information from the network, including but
not limited to a handheld computer, a laptop computer, a personal
computer, a personal digital assistant, an Internet appliance, or
other similar devices capable of communicating information over a
network.
[0167] In a further example embodiment of the present invention,
reports may be generated relating to the food service supplies in
response to customer 10 or supplier 21-24 requests for at least one
of current or historical ordering information, usage trends,
current or historical inventory information, current or historical
purchase order information, order confirmation, pricing
information, delivery information, profit margins, operating costs,
recipe item costs, menu item costs, local market pricing trends,
vendor pricing comparisons based on recent competitors'orders, and
the like.
[0168] Preferred orders may be stored of at least one of (i) the at
least one customer database 15A and (ii) the at least one supplier
database 21A-24A for the customer 10, such that automatic
re-submission of the preferred orders at designated time intervals
is enabled.
[0169] In an additional example embodiment of the present
invention, the at least one customer database 15A is integrated
with the customer's point of sale system (POS) 70, as shown in FIG.
1. Information regarding food and beverage sales for the customer
10 may be stored on the at least one customer database 15A. This
information may be obtained from the customer's point of sale
system 70, either automatically or at periodic intervals under the
control of the customer 10.
[0170] In such an example embodiment, at least one of sales
forecasting, inventory management, automatic food service supplies
purchasing, trend forecasting, and supplies forecast planning may
be enabled. Reports may be generated in response to a request from
the customer 10 relating to sales forecasting, inventory
management, automatic food service supplies purchasing, trend
forecasting, supplies forecast planning, and the like.
[0171] The at least one customer database 15A may also be
integrated with the customer's accounting system 80, enabling at
least one of vendor (supplier) bill payment, vendor bill
reconciliation, sales tax reporting, banking, credit card
reconciliation, accounting accrual maintenance, depreciation
maintenance, house charge maintenance, generation of customer
statements, financial reporting, financial analysis, and the
like.
[0172] It should now be appreciated that the present invention
provides advantageous methods, systems, and apparatus for providing
access to decision critical information for food services supply
chain management.
[0173] Although the invention has been described in connection with
various illustrated embodiments, numerous modifications and
adaptations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
* * * * *